The Penn Hills School District has determined that its student mediation program is a success when it comes to controlling and preventing fights between students.   A group of staff members received training prior to the school year and used the skills throughout the year within the three schools in the district.   According to Superintendent Nancy Hines, the goal was to “educate, rather than sanction… and to get kids to see that there is a better way to deal with anger.  ”

In the mediation sessions, students and trained teacher mediators sit down and discuss the issue at hand.   It might happen immediately after tensions begin to escalate, or as much as a day later if a cooling down period seems necessary.   The mediators facilitate the discussion in a controlled and respectful manner.  

School officials have found that many of the arguments begin on social media and might even start outside of school, but are brought into the hallways and classrooms.   The majority of fights occur within the system’s middle school.   There were 80 mediation sessions conducted throughout the year for students in grades five through eight, and 52 in the high school.   According to officials, since the mediation sessions were introduced, high school fights have been cut in half. 

School officials and students believe the program works because it gives those involved in an argument a chance to address their problems without escalating it to a fight.   Mediators are skilled at getting kids to talk and to listening to what they have to say – and allowing them to discuss their feelings.   This is something many kids do not get a chance to do, in school or at home.